Rice
by blackjackcat
Summary: Happy Thanksgiving! Of course, some have different ways of celebrating than others...


**A/N:** I wrote this..a year or two ago as a request for Thanksgiving. It was based on the suggestion of a reader who liked the idea of "Dough". It was the best I can manage. Sorry if Heero seems a little OOC. I don't see him as being too violent with food.. Cooking is an art~

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam wing. I simply love the characters.**

**Warnings:** Some..implied pairings at the very end. I'm not specific. Don't worry. :)

**Rice**

"That is undignified and insulting Maxwell."

"Huh?" Duo looked up in surprise at the chocolate haired Gundam pilot of Wing. "Whadya talkin' about?"

With Heero's profile filling the doorway to the kitchen, Duo kept his eyes on the other pilot. His fork was frozen, poised over the bowl he held in one hand, the bottom balancing on his knee.

Perched on the edge of the counter with his knees drawn up, the taller boy waited, as Heero Yuy's cobalt blue eyes ran over his body and then moved back to focus on the bowl and fork in his hands.

Seeing the look of restrained contempt and disgust trying to break free across Heero's face, Duo shrugged , put his fork back into the bowl, and speared a California roll on the tips of the tongs.

"A fellow's got to eat Yuy. It's Thanksgiving, and war or not, I'm celebrating."

"Hn."

Raising a brow Duo looked up as Heero moved past him to reach the safe house's single refrigerator. He watched with the faintest tracings of gnawing curiosity as Heero bent down, and reached into the refrigerator, his lean fingers pulling a lidded pot from the far back corner.

Walking the few steps to the stove, Heero placed the black pan down, then proceeded to move about the kitchen. Taking down a few more pots, one of a particular odd shape, a few knives, and a small cutting board all of which he placed on the far counter.

Curiosity getting the best of him, Duo swallowed a last piece of sushi, and dared to voice a question to the studios pilot after gulping it down. "What are you doing?"

There was silence a moment as Heero returned to the fridge, picked a few more items, and then shut the door with his foot. Turning, Duo could see he held a few more bags with what looked like some kind of vegetables in his hands.

Heero however, did not answer until he had meticulously washed each and every vegetable item at the sink. His answer came as a low grunt once he was back near the stove again. "Cooking."

His answer done, Heero placed the still wet vegetables on the cutting board he had selected and picked up one of the shorter knives, the blade catching in the light of the small kitchen. The blade came down in steady chopping motions on one of the leafy green things Duo had watched the other pilot wash.

"So..what is that?"

When Heero didn't answer, Duo finished the last of his sushi, setting the used utensils into the sink. He had just put one foot down on the cool tile when Heero turned to face him, butcher knife in hand.

Duo froze as Heero met his eyes levelly, knowing that if he blinked, or even tried to move his eyes down to see just where that blade might be moving, the consequences could be _very_ bad.

"Yuy..Hey," Duo swallowed as he tried to speak around the lump in his throat, "I was just..askin' what."

"Hn."

Heero turned back to his chopping, and after a few minutes, set aside a small pile of neatly sliced red peppers. They took up their position next to the chopped bits of green Duo still couldn't identify.

Still not answering, Heero continued to mutilate vegetables with a different selection of blades. Some more green stuff Duo didn't know and what looked like some odd colored root… And then, Heero picked up something that he _did_ recognize.

"What the hell is that for Yuy?"

Again Heero ignored him as he set the board with the vegetables slightly off to the side. That odd shaped pan was pulled forward and the back burner flipped on as Heero poured some kind of oil into the pan, then added that funny root he'd seen earlier. Duo wrinkled his nose as the gar;lic went in as well.

"Why do you need _garlic?"_

Heero kept his back to Duo, but there was less tension in his shoulders as he replied. "Flavor."

Next the chopped green things went in. "Green onions," Heero answered before he could completely get his mouth around the question. Red peppers were next, and Heero must have known he recognized those because he didn't bother to name them.

Eggs were mixed with a small amount of soy sauce before Heero opened the black pot that had been sitting on the back edge of the stove.

Leaning over Heero's shoulder to look, Duo wrinkled his nose at what he saw. "_Day old rice?_"

Wing's pilot didn't stop in his movements, but the brief glance he sent Duo's way was enough to pin the braided pilot's mouth in place. At least for a while.

Once the rice had been mixed in with the eggs, and then dumped in on top of the simmering vegetables, Duo's mouth was off again.

"What-"

He found a wooden spoon pressed against his throat, effectively putting the right amount of pressure as a warning. Training kept Duo from swallowing as he met the Heero's level gaze.

"Shut up Maxwell." The tip of the wooden spoon was taken away and then disappeared only to reapear again with an interesting rice mixture on the tip. "Eat."

Resigning himself Duo opened his mouth and let the warm mixture be dumped onto his tongue. There was a faint trace of some kind of spice, but it was overpowered by the stronger tang of peppers and what he guessed was the onion. The garlic was there but he could barely taste it mixed in with the soy sauce and sesame oil. The egg and rice overpowered the whole mixture and blended the taste together and..

"There's no chicken in this. Why do I taste chicken?"

Heero sighed and took the spoon away. "Chicken broth gives more flavor than water."

Duo stepped past Heero and dipped the spoon back into that odd pot, taking another bite. "It's good!"

"Hn." Heero grunted and began cleaning up leaving Duo to his own devices. It wasn't until he was almost done did he realize that the braided baka was still eating from the wok.

Getting down a bowl and spoon, Heero handed them to the American.

"Thanks buddy!" Duo grinned and spooned out more of the rice mixture into his bowl, reasserting himself on the counter top.

"Hn." Heero picked up a knife from the drying board an began to wipe it down, sliding it back into the knife block with a metallic shing!

"Heh." Duo offered a nervous laugh as he drew his legs up onto the counter, sitting cross legged.

"I thought you were going to pull one of those on me."

Duo blinked at the single raised eyebrow look Heero gave him.

"Well um.. Not that you would.. I just.. You know.. No mercy in the kitchen?" Duo set his bowl on his knee again and scratched at the back of his head. "That sounds kinda…"

"Duo."

Moving his eyes down from the spot they had found on the ceiling, Duo blinked. Heero was standing right in front of him, his eyes searching for Duo's own.

"No mercy in the kitchen."

"Wait.. Yuy.. Er Heero.. We're not. I mean I'm.." Protesting, Duo held up his bowl. "I'm eating fried rice here!"

"So let me help you.."

Meeting those deep azure eyes Duo felt a shiver of anticipation run down his spine and past to his legs. "Heero um.."

With his back to the counter, there was no way for him to get away.

Soon that idea was forgotten, with Heero's voice like a soft purr in his ear. "Happy Thanksgiving.."

Needless to say, a few hours later there was cause for a very red faced Wu Fei to make a rather hasty exit form the kitchen with a tight lip.

And even _more_ hours later, a confused Trowa and Quatre were trying to understand the just recovering Wu Fei who eventually shouted the problem and then stormed off to meditate leaving an understnading Trowa and still very confused Quatre behind.

"But.. I don't understand. Trowa?"

"Well love, let's put it this way. Heero and Duo believe in dressing a different kind of turkey."

"What?" Big eyes blinked up at the ex-mercenary in confusion. "I know it's thanksgiving but…"

Trowa allowed a small smile as he took Quatre by the hand, and managed to help him understand.

Then there was four out of five who were very thankful.

And Wu Fei, well, he was thankful that they had a backyard.


End file.
